Craft beer fans across the Eastern Shore are gearing up for the sixth annual “99 Bottles of Beer on the Lawn” festival, set for Saturday, May 12, at Southern Napa in Daphne. The event, which runs from 1 to 4 p.m. rain or shine, has grown into one of the area’s signature spring gatherings since it began in 2013.
Southern Napa, a converted farmhouse situated between U.S. Route 98 and Main Street, has built a reputation as a destination for fine wine and craft beer selections that are often hard to find elsewhere in the region. Owners Jim and Carrie Cox opened the shop in 2012, just as changes to Alabama’s brewing laws were beginning to fuel a wave of new craft breweries across the state. The following year, the couple launched the lawn festival as a way to introduce craft beer to a wider audience, and it has since become their marquee annual event.
This year’s festival will once again set up a large tent on the lawn outside Southern Napa, with 99 or more craft beers available for tasting. A $35 ticket includes a souvenir tasting glass and samples of every beer on site. Attendees are encouraged to vote in several award categories for their favorites. Bottles and cans of most featured beers will be available for purchase inside the shop, and festivalgoers can also place orders online ahead of time to pick up on their way out.
Live music from Brett LaGrave will play throughout the afternoon, and food will be available from Chef Will Hughes’ food truck.
Jim Cox described the festival as less a formal tasting event and more of a relaxed neighborhood gathering. “It’s a craft beer festival, but it’s really more like a big lawn party with family and friends,” he said, adding that the event is designed to be approachable for newcomers who may not yet know what styles of beer they like. “If you don’t like a particular beer you try at this event, it’s pretty easy to just dump it on the lawn and move on.” For more serious enthusiasts, he said, the festival also offers a chance to meet brewmasters and dig deeper into the craft. “If you are a ‘beer nerd,’ it’s also a chance to meet brewmasters, ask questions about beer and really expand your knowledge.”
Organizers say this year’s lineup reflects just how much Alabama’s craft beer industry has expanded since the festival’s inaugural year in 2013. The festival will feature considerably more Alabama-brewed beer than in years past, including numerous selections from Fairhope Brewing Company, Big Beach Brewing Co. and Serda Brewing. Additional Alabama breweries on hand will include Birmingham’s Avondale Brewing, Madison’s Rocket Republic Brewing Co. and Huntsville’s Yellowhammer Brewing, which plans to hold a can launch at the event for its T-Minus Kölsch. A dollar from every sale of that beer will go toward sending a child to space camp.
Beyond Alabama’s borders, the festival will bring in beers from across the country and overseas. Gulfport’s Chandeleur Island Brewing Co., Fort Walton Beach’s Props Brewery — owned by three Air Force veterans — and Santa Rosa Beach’s Grayton Beer Co. will all be represented. Hannibal, Missouri’s Mark Twain Brewing Co. will be making its Alabama debut at the festival. On the international side, Iceland’s Einstök will return, along with Sweden’s Kopparberg Cider, which took home the People’s Choice Award at last year’s festival.
Tickets for the main festival are available online through Southern Napa’s website. For an additional five dollars, ticket holders can also add on admission to a Friday night concert on the lawn featuring the Underhill Family Orchestra, scheduled for 8 p.m. on May 11.
A portion of the festival’s proceeds will benefit the Baldwin County Humane Society, a cause close to the Coxes, who have supported the organization’s efforts to find homes for shelter dogs since opening Southern Napa.